Robot multi-eye driving device, head device, mobile robot based on multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor

Abstract

The application discloses a robot multi-eye driving device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor, which comprises a robot head frame, a plurality of multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies arranged in the robot head frame, and a plurality of camera modules arranged at the ends of the output devices of the spherical motor assemblies. Each output device rotates around at least two mutually perpendicular axes intersecting at a point. The optical axis of each camera module coincides with the axis of the output device. The robot head frame is provided with N windows, N is greater than or equal to 1, the output device is located in one window, and the output device performs pitching or yawing or rolling motion relative to the window. The whole visual driving mechanism is integrated in a spherical eye socket, the motion range is large, the flexibility is good, and the pitching and yawing motion range of 120 degrees can be provided. The left and right eyes are independently formed into modules, and the modules are connected with the robot head frame through a rigid connecting frame, so that batch production, maintenance and replacement are facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robot vision system technology, and in particular to a robot multi-view drive device, head device, and mobile robot based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, robot vision systems are the core module for robots to perceive their environment, identify targets, and navigate. To enable robots to acquire and track different perspectives, various technical solutions have been developed in the industry, mainly including fixed multi-sensor arrays, monocular / binocular gimbal-driven systems, LiDAR scanning, and biomimetic compound eye structures. For example:

[0003] A monocular camera acquires image information using only a single camera. Its advantages include simple structure, low cost, small size, and easy integration into small robots. However, monocular vision has inherent limitations: it cannot directly acquire depth information and can only indirectly estimate distance through motion reconstruction structures or triangulation algorithms, resulting in poor measurement accuracy and real-time performance in dynamic scenes. Furthermore, monocular systems cannot achieve stereo perception through parallax like human binoculars, making them unsuitable for high-precision target localization or obstacle avoidance tasks.

[0004] LiDAR or depth cameras acquire 3D point cloud information of a scene directly by actively emitting laser or infrared light and measuring the reflection time. This type of solution has significant advantages such as high ranging accuracy, strong anti-interference capability, and all-weather operation. However, its application in robot heads has several drawbacks: First, LiDAR is typically large and heavy, making it difficult to install in confined spaces; second, traditional LiDAR often performs single-line or limited-line scanning, requiring a rotating platform to acquire omnidirectional information, increasing the system's mechanical complexity and failure rate; third, LiDAR is expensive, hindering its widespread adoption in consumer robots; and finally, the massive amount of laser point cloud data places high demands on the robot's computational processing capabilities.

[0005] Event cameras only record pixel brightness changes and do not output complete frame images. Their advantages include ultra-low latency (microseconds) and high dynamic range (above 140dB), making them ideal for capturing fast-moving objects. However, their application also presents challenges: their output is a sparse asynchronous data stream, incompatible with traditional image processing algorithms, requiring a completely new algorithm architecture; the data is sparse in static or slowly changing scenes, making it difficult to obtain detailed information; furthermore, they also require a mechanical gimbal to change the field of view.

[0006] Two independent servo motors (or steering gears) connected in series form a two-degree-of-freedom drive structure to control the camera's pitch and yaw motion respectively. This solution is technically mature, has low development costs, and intuitive control algorithms, making it the most common drive method currently available. However, this solution has inherent drawbacks: the series structure leads to the gradual accumulation of joint errors, limiting end-effector stiffness and accuracy; the motors are mounted at the end of the arm, resulting in large rotational inertia and slow dynamic response; the robot's head structure is bulky due to motor size limitations; and the range of pitch and yaw motion is restricted by mechanical interference, making it difficult to achieve flexible scanning and converging functions similar to human eyes.

[0007] Bionic compound eyes mimic the structure of insect compound eyes, arranging multiple small photosensitive units (ommatidia) on a spherical or curved surface to form a wide-angle vision. Their advantages include a very large field of view (reaching 180° or even higher) and the ability to quickly perceive dynamic motion. However, their disadvantages are also significant: lower resolution, far inferior to lens-type cameras of the same size; complex image stitching algorithms and visual crosstalk between the ommatidia; furthermore, existing bionic compound eyes mostly employ rigid, fixed structures, unable to perform active, controlled saccadic movements like human eyes, thus making it difficult to track specific targets.

[0008] Fixed multi-sensor arrays create a static visual array covering multiple directions by mounting multiple cameras or sensors at different angles on the robot's head, body, or base. For example, some advanced robots have 4-6 wide-angle cameras mounted around their head to achieve 360° panoramic perception. The advantages of this approach are no moving parts, high reliability, fast response speed, and the ability to simultaneously acquire visual information from multiple directions, making it ideal for real-time obstacle avoidance and dynamic environment perception. However, it has the following drawbacks: ① High cost: It requires multiple high-quality camera modules and corresponding image processing chips; ② Large data volume: Simultaneous processing of multiple high-definition images places extremely high demands on the robot's computing power, resulting in prominent heat generation and power consumption issues; ③ Limited field of view: Although each camera has a wide angle, it cannot acquire high-resolution local images by "gazing" like the human eye, i.e., it lacks "zooming" and "staring" capabilities; ④ Large space occupation: Multiple sensors are distributed on the head shell, which is not conducive to miniaturization and biomimetic design; ⑤ Lack of active tracking capability: When it is necessary to accurately track a dynamic target or observe local details, the fixed array cannot "move the eyeballs" to align with the target like the human eye, often requiring the robot to rotate its entire body.

[0009] The combined pain points of existing robot vision-driven technologies:

[0010] In summary, existing robot vision systems still lack ideal drive devices to meet the requirements of controllable, flexible, and wide-range motion. This is especially true for humanoid robots, which must maintain a compact structure (hidden in the head), sufficient load capacity (equipped with a high-definition camera), achieve flexible scanning over large angles, and ensure precise synchronization of the left and right eyes to avoid visual deviations. Traditional servo motor drive solutions are bulky and have low precision; LiDAR solutions are costly and bulky; fixed multi-sensor array solutions lack active tracking capabilities and have high computational loads; and bionic compound eye solutions lack active motion capabilities. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a novel drive device that combines high torque density, a large deflection range, a compact structure, and synchronous control capabilities to meet the requirements of next-generation robot vision systems for flexibility, intelligence, and biomimicry. Summary of the Invention

[0011] This invention provides a robot multi-view drive device, head device, and mobile robot based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0012] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art is as follows:

[0013] A multi-view robot drive device based on multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motors includes a robot head frame. Multiple multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies are arranged inside the robot head frame. Each spherical motor assembly includes a multi-degree-of-freedom output device. Each output device rotates around at least two mutually perpendicular axes that intersect at a point. A camera module is provided at the end of each output device. The optical axis of the camera module coincides with the axis of the output device. N windows, where N is greater than or equal to 1, are opened on the robot head frame. Each output device is located within one window and performs pitch, yaw, or roll movements relative to that window.

[0014] Furthermore, each spherical motor assembly also includes a base, a square housing located on the base, four motor mechanisms, and two arc-shaped strip guides; a motor mechanism is installed on each of the four outer walls of the square housing, and the output shaft axis of each motor mechanism is perpendicular to the outer wall of the square housing on which it is installed and intersects at a point, which is called the rotation center point; the two arc-shaped strip guides are stacked vertically, and the ends of the output shafts of each pair of opposite motor mechanisms are fixedly connected to the two ends of an arc-shaped strip guide; the output device includes a slider assembly that is slidably connected to both arc-shaped strip guides and a connecting shaft for connecting to the camera module; the slider assembly and the connecting shaft form a linkage mechanism; when the output shafts of the two pairs of motor mechanisms rotate, the slider assembly drives the connecting shaft to move along the two arc-shaped strip guides, so that the connecting shaft moves on a spherical surface with the rotation center point as the center.

[0015] Furthermore, each arc-shaped guide rail has a long, narrow hole at its center; a connecting shaft passes through the long, narrow holes of the two arc-shaped guide rails; the slider assembly includes an upper slider and a lower slider, each with a shaft hole through which the connecting shaft passes; at least one pair of rotating wheels are mounted on the lower surface of the upper slider and the upper surface of the lower slider; the outer surface of the arc-shaped guide rail has an arc-shaped protrusion A or a V-shaped groove A; the circumferential surface of the rotating wheel has an annular V-shaped groove B corresponding to the protrusion A, or an annular protrusion B with an arc-shaped cross-section corresponding to the groove A; a pair of rotating wheels cooperate with the two sides of an arc-shaped guide rail and roll along the arc-shaped guide rail, thereby causing the upper and lower sliders to slide relative to the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails.

[0016] Furthermore, the connecting shaft includes a fixed seat and a connecting rod. The bottom of the fixed seat is fixedly connected to the inner bottom surface of the square housing, and the fixed seat and the connecting rod are connected by a universal ball joint.

[0017] Furthermore, the connecting rod includes two detachable rod sections, referred to as the first rod section and the second rod section, respectively; the bottom of the first rod section is provided with a spherical body, and the top of the fixing seat is provided with a spherical groove that mates with the spherical body; the second rod section passes through the strip-shaped holes of the upper and lower sliders and the two arc-shaped guide rails, and its top is fixedly connected to the camera module.

[0018] Furthermore, the outer contour of the robot's head frame is spherical, egg-shaped, or a combination of a hemisphere and a hemisphere.

[0019] Furthermore, two to eight windows are opened around the vertical central axis of the robot's head frame; the windows are circular, one window corresponds to one output device, and the windows are equipped with embedded spherical or planar lenses; the area of ​​the windows is larger than the field of view coverage of the camera module at the maximum pitch angle and the maximum yaw angle.

[0020] Furthermore, each output device pitches, yaws, or rolls 90–120° relative to its corresponding window.

[0021] Furthermore, an elongated oval window or two circular windows symmetrically arranged on the front side of the robot's head frame are opened; two spherical motor assemblies are located on the left and right sides of the elongated oval window or inside the two circular windows, and these two spherical motor assemblies are referred to as the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit; the optical axes of the camera modules of the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit are set parallel to each other.

[0022] Furthermore, the device also includes a controller, which has a built-in binocular synchronization coordination module. The binocular synchronization coordination module is used to synchronously calculate and output the pitch angle setpoint and yaw angle setpoint of the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit respectively according to the target tracking command sent by the host computer, so that the optical axes of the camera modules of the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit are focused on the same point.

[0023] The present invention also provides a robot head device, which includes the above-described robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor.

[0024] The present invention also provides a mobile robot, which includes the head device of the robot described above, and the mobile robot is a wheeled mobile robot, a tracked mobile robot, or a quadruped robot.

[0025] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are:

[0026] 1. Compact structure and high biomimicry: The entire drive mechanism is fully integrated into a spherical eye socket, leaving only an optical window, which greatly reduces the external mechanical structure and makes the robot's appearance more human-like.

[0027] 2. Wide range of motion and good flexibility: It can be constructed based on a two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor structure, providing a pitch and yaw range of 120°.

[0028] 3. Easy assembly: The left and right eye drive units are independent modules, which are connected to the robot head frame through a rigid connecting frame, making it easy to mass-produce, repair and replace. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a spherical motor assembly structure according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the back structure of a robot head frame according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the base of a spherical motor assembly and the square housing structure located on the base according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a universal ball joint structure consisting of a fixed seat for a connecting shaft and a connecting rod, according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the two arc-shaped strip guide rail structures of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between a slider assembly and a connecting shaft according to the present invention.

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Robot head frame; 2. Square shell; 3. Right eye drive unit; 4. Mounting bracket; 4-1. Mounting bracket fixing hole; 5. Camera module; 6. Left eye drive unit; 7. Base; 8. First arc-shaped strip guide rail; 9. Second arc-shaped strip guide rail; 10. First rod; 10-1. Spherical body; 11. Output shaft; 12. Motor mechanism; 13. Lower slider; 14. Upper slider; 15. Second rod; 16. Rotary wheel; 17. Fixing base; 18. Strip-shaped elongated hole; 19. Strip-shaped protrusion A; 20. Drum-shaped hole. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0038] In the description of this invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," and "bottom," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and do not require the invention to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. The terms "connected" and "linked" used in this invention should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or a detachable connection; a direct connection or an indirect connection through intermediate components; or an electrical connection or signal transmission. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0039] Please see Figures 1 to 7 A multi-view robot drive device based on multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motors includes a robot head frame 1. The robot head frame 1 is equipped with multiple multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies. Each spherical motor assembly includes a multi-degree-of-freedom output device. Each output device rotates around at least two mutually perpendicular axes that intersect at a point. Each output device has a camera module 5 at its end. The optical axis of the camera module 5 coincides with the axis of the output device. N windows are opened on the robot head frame 1, where N is greater than or equal to 1. The output device is located in one window and moves in pitch, yaw, or roll relative to the window.

[0040] Preferably, each spherical motor assembly may further include a base 7, a square housing 2 located on the base 7, four motor mechanisms 12, and two arc-shaped guide rails; one motor mechanism 12 may be installed on each of the four outer walls of the square housing 2, and the output shaft 11 of each motor mechanism 12 is perpendicular to the outer wall of the square housing 2 on which it is installed and intersects at a point, which is called the rotation center point; the two arc-shaped guide rails are stacked vertically, and the ends of the output shaft 11 of each pair of opposite motor mechanisms 12 are fixedly connected to the two ends of an arc-shaped guide rail; the output device includes a slider assembly that is slidably connected to both arc-shaped guide rails and a connecting shaft for connecting to the camera module 5; the slider assembly and the connecting shaft constitute a linkage mechanism; when the output shafts 11 of the two pairs of motor mechanisms 12 rotate, the slider assembly drives the connecting shaft to move along the two arc-shaped guide rails, so that the connecting shaft moves on a spherical surface with the rotation center point as the center.

[0041] The slider assembly can be fixedly connected to the connecting shaft to form a linkage mechanism. For example, the slider assembly may include an upper slide rail and a lower slide rail, both of which are connected to the connecting shaft. Both the upper and lower slide rails have U-shaped grooves, with the opening of the U-shaped groove of the upper slide rail facing downwards and the opening of the U-shaped groove of the lower slide rail facing upwards. The upper and lower ends of the connecting column are located at the center of the U-shaped grooves of the upper and lower slide rails, respectively. The U-shaped grooves of the upper and lower slide rails are arranged in a cross shape. The two parallel arc-shaped bars of the upper arc-shaped guide rail are embedded in the U-shaped groove of the upper slide rail and slidably connected to it. The two parallel arc-shaped bars of the lower arc-shaped guide rail are embedded in the U-shaped groove of the lower slide rail and slidably connected to it. The center holes of the upper and lower slide rails are equipped with bearings, and the connecting shaft is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing. The outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the upper and lower slide rails.

[0042] Each arc-shaped guide rail may have a long, narrow hole 18 at its center; the inner surfaces of the two parallel arc-shaped strips of the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails are provided with grooves facing each other; the slider assembly includes a cylindrical body, which rotates up and down to fit two rollers; the upper and lower rollers are located within the long, narrow hole 18, and the outer edges of the upper and lower rollers are correspondingly embedded in the grooves on the inner surfaces of the two parallel arc-shaped strips of the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails. The cylindrical body is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft.

[0043] The cross-section of the connecting shaft can be circular, square, or drum-shaped.

[0044] The motor mechanism 12 can be a regular rotary motor or a geared motor.

[0045] The end cross-section of the output shaft 11 of the motor mechanism 12 can be drum-shaped, and the two ends of the arc-shaped guide rail are provided with drum-shaped holes 20 that cooperate with the end of the output shaft 11 of the motor mechanism 12.

[0046] Preferably, each arc-shaped guide rail may have a long, narrow hole 18 at its center; the connecting shaft passes through the long, narrow holes 18 of the two arc-shaped guide rails; the slider assembly may include an upper slider 14 and a lower slider 13, each with a shaft hole through which the connecting shaft passes; at least one pair of rotating wheels 16 are respectively installed on the lower surface of the upper slider 14 and the upper surface of the lower slider 13; the outer surface of the arc-shaped guide rail is provided with a strip-shaped protrusion A19 with an arc-shaped cross-section or a strip-shaped groove A with a V-shaped cross-section; the circumferential surface of the rotating wheel 16 is provided with an annular V-shaped groove B corresponding to the strip-shaped protrusion A19, or an annular protrusion B with an arc-shaped cross-section corresponding to the strip-shaped groove A; the pair of rotating wheels 16 cooperate with the two sides of an arc-shaped guide rail and roll along the arc-shaped guide rail, thereby causing the upper slider 14 and the lower slider 13 to slide relative to each other on the upper and lower sides of the arc-shaped guide rail.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the second arc-shaped strip guide rail 9 and the first arc-shaped strip guide rail 8 are arranged vertically, with the second arc-shaped strip guide rail 9 being the upper arc-shaped strip guide rail and the first arc-shaped strip guide rail 8 being the lower arc-shaped strip guide rail.

[0048] A pair of rotating wheels 16 mounted on the lower surface of the upper slider 14 contact the two sides of the second arc-shaped guide rail 9, rolling along and sliding relative to the second arc-shaped guide rail 9. A pair of rotating wheels 16 mounted on the upper surface of the lower slider 13 contact the two sides of the first arc-shaped guide rail 8, rolling along and sliding relative to the first arc-shaped guide rail 8.

[0049] Preferably, the connecting shaft may include a fixed base 17 and a connecting rod. The bottom of the fixed base 17 may be fixed to the inner bottom surface of the square housing 2, and the fixed base 17 and the connecting rod may be connected by a universal ball joint.

[0050] Preferably, the connecting rod may include two detachable rod sections, referred to as the first rod 10 and the second rod 15, respectively. The bottom of the first rod 10 is provided with a spherical body 10-1, and the top of the fixing seat 17 is provided with a spherical groove that mates with the spherical body 10-1. The spherical body 10-1 of the first rod 10 and the spherical groove of the fixing seat 17 are connected to form a universal ball joint. The second rod 15 passes through the upper and lower sliders 13 and the strip-shaped elongated holes 18 of the two arc-shaped guide rails, and its top is fixedly connected to the camera module 5.

[0051] Preferably, the outer contour of the robot head frame 1 can be spherical, egg-shaped, or a combination of a spherical and an egg-shaped structure.

[0052] Preferably, 2 to 8 windows can be opened on the robot head frame 1 around its vertical central axis; the windows are circular, one window corresponds to one output device, and the windows can be equipped with embedded spherical or planar lenses; the area of ​​the windows is larger than the field of view coverage of the camera module 5 at the maximum pitch angle and the maximum yaw angle.

[0053] Preferably, an elongated window or two circular windows symmetrically arranged on the front side of the robot head frame 1 can be opened; two spherical motor assemblies are located on the left and right sides of the elongated window or inside the two circular windows, and these two spherical motor assemblies are referred to as the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3; the optical axes of the camera modules 5 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 are arranged parallel to each other.

[0054] Preferably, each output device can pitch, yaw, or roll 90–120° relative to its corresponding window.

[0055] The connecting shaft can also pass through the window, and the camera module 5 connected to the connecting shaft can rotate relative to the window.

[0056] The spherical motor assembly can be a two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly with high torque density. Due to the high torque density and fast response of the two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly, combined with the above-mentioned control strategy, this invention can achieve high-speed, synchronous, and wide-range binocular scanning motion.

[0057] Preferably, the device further includes a controller, which may have a built-in binocular synchronization coordination module; the binocular synchronization coordination module is used to synchronously calculate and output the pitch angle setpoint and yaw angle setpoint of the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 respectively according to the target tracking command sent by the host computer; so that the optical axes of the camera modules 5 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 are focused on the same point.

[0058] The present invention also provides a robot head device, which includes the above-described robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor.

[0059] The present invention also provides a mobile robot, which includes the head device of the robot described above, and the mobile robot is a wheeled mobile robot, a tracked mobile robot, or a quadruped robot.

[0060] Wheeled mobile robots and tracked mobile robots include food delivery robots and inspection robots.

[0061] The present invention also provides a quadruped robot, which includes four limbs and a head. The head includes the aforementioned multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor. Quadruped robots include humanoid robots, robotic dogs, etc.

[0062] The structure and working principle of the present invention will be further described below with reference to preferred embodiments:

[0063] A multi-view robot drive device based on multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motors includes a robot head frame 1. Multiple multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies are arranged inside the robot head frame 1. Each spherical motor assembly includes a multi-degree-of-freedom output device. Each output device rotates around at least two mutually perpendicular axes that intersect at a point. A camera module 5 is provided at the end of each output device. The optical axis of the camera module 5 coincides with the axis of the output device. N windows are opened on the robot head frame 1, where N is greater than or equal to 1. The output device is located within one window and moves in pitch, yaw, or roll relative to that window.

[0064] An elongated oval window or two circular windows symmetrically arranged on the front side of the robot's head frame 1 are opened; the spherical motor assembly on the left is called the left eye drive unit 6; the spherical motor assembly on the right is called the right eye drive unit 3; the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 are controlled by the same controller, which is connected to the host computer.

[0065] Both the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 are two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies; each two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly includes:

[0066] Each spherical motor assembly also includes a base 7, a square housing 2 located on the base 7, four motor mechanisms 12, and two arc-shaped strip guides; a motor mechanism 12 is installed on each of the four outer walls of the square housing 2, and the output shaft 11 of each motor mechanism 12 is perpendicular to the outer wall of the square housing 2 on which it is installed and intersects at a point, which is called the rotation center point; the two arc-shaped strip guides are stacked vertically, and the ends of the output shaft 11 of each pair of opposite motor mechanisms 12 are fixedly connected to the two ends of an arc-shaped strip guide; the output device includes a slider assembly that is slidably connected to both arc-shaped strip guides and a connecting shaft for connecting to the camera module 5; the slider assembly and the connecting shaft form a linkage mechanism; when the output shafts 11 of the two pairs of motor mechanisms 12 rotate, the slider assembly drives the connecting shaft to move along the two arc-shaped strip guides, so that the connecting shaft moves on a spherical surface with the rotation center point as the center.

[0067] Each arc-shaped guide rail has a long, narrow hole 18 at its center; both the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails are divided into two parallel arc-shaped strips by the long, narrow hole 18.

[0068] The connecting shaft passes through the elongated holes 18 of the two arc-shaped guide rails; the slider assembly includes an upper slider 14 and a lower slider 13, each with a shaft hole through which the connecting shaft passes; at least one pair of rotating wheels 16 are installed on the lower and upper surfaces of the upper slider 14; the outer surface of the arc-shaped guide rail is provided with an arc-shaped protrusion A19 or a V-shaped groove A; the circumferential surface of the rotating wheel 16 is provided with a V-shaped groove B corresponding to the protrusion A19, or a protrusion B corresponding to the groove A; each pair of rotating wheels 16 rolls along the arc-shaped guide rail, thereby causing the upper and lower sliders 13 to slide relative to each other on the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails.

[0069] Each pair of opposing motor mechanisms 12 is called a pair of motor mechanisms; when the two pairs of motor mechanisms drive the output shaft 11 to rotate, the slider drives the connecting shaft to move along the two arc-shaped guide rails, so that the camera module 5 moves on the sphere with the rotation center point as the center of the sphere, realizing pitch and yaw motion.

[0070] The two pairs of motor mechanisms are referred to as the first pair of motor mechanisms and the second pair of motor mechanisms, respectively. The first pair of motor mechanisms serves as the pitch drive mechanism, and the second pair of motor mechanisms serves as the yaw drive mechanism.

[0071] The two arc-shaped strip guides are referred to as the first arc-shaped strip guide 8 and the second arc-shaped strip guide 9, respectively. The two ends of the first arc-shaped strip guide 8 are fixedly connected to the ends of the output shaft 11 of the first pair of motor mechanisms; the two ends of the second arc-shaped strip guide 9 are fixedly connected to the ends of the output shaft 11 of the second pair of motor mechanisms.

[0072] The first arc-shaped strip guide rail 8 can be located below the second arc-shaped strip guide rail 9.

[0073] The outer contour of the robot head frame 1 is spherical, oval, or a combination of a hemisphere and an oval. The base 7 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the base 7 of the right eye drive unit 3 are connected to each other by a rigid mounting bracket 4, which is fixed to the robot head frame 1. The optical axes of the camera modules 5 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 are arranged parallel to each other to form a binocular visual baseline. The base 7 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the base 7 of the right eye drive unit 3 are provided with fixing threaded holes, and the mounting bracket 4 is provided with mounting bracket fixing holes 4-1 that mate with the fixing threaded holes. Screws are passed through the mounting bracket fixing holes 4-1 and tightened into the fixing threaded holes for fixation.

[0074] After installation, the initial optical axes of the camera module 5 of the left eye drive unit 6 and the right eye drive unit 3 can be set parallel to each other.

[0075] The camera module 5 of the left eye driving unit 6 is referred to as the left camera module 5, and the camera module 5 of the right eye driving unit 3 is referred to as the right camera module 5. The optical axes of the left camera module 5 and the right camera module 5 are set parallel to each other.

[0076] The center of gravity of the output device is located near the center of rotation to reduce rotational inertia and improve dynamic response speed.

[0077] The left-eye drive unit 6 and the right-eye drive unit 3 operate independently. The controller includes a binocular synchronization coordination module: based on the target tracking command sent by the host computer, it synchronously calculates and outputs the pitch and yaw angle setpoints for each of the left-eye drive unit 6 and the right-eye drive unit 3, ensuring that the camera modules 5 of both units simultaneously aim at the same target point. The binocular synchronization coordination module controls the simultaneous movement of the left-eye drive unit 6 and the right-eye drive unit 3, focusing the optical axes of their camera modules 5 onto the same point, thus achieving gaze and convergence functions.

[0078] The controller also includes a cross-coupled synchronization control module: to synchronize the pair of motor mechanisms 12 driving the same degree of freedom (pitch or yaw) in each two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly, in order to eliminate position and speed deviations between the coaxial dual motors.

[0079] This invention achieves high synchronization accuracy: through cross-coupling synchronization control within a single eye and coordinated control between both eyes, it ensures the consistency of the movement trajectories of the left and right eyes, avoids visual deviation, and improves the accuracy of binocular ranging and target tracking.

[0080] The robot head frame 1, multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly, two-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assembly, base 7, square shell 2, motor mechanism 12, arc-shaped strip guide rail, upper slider 14, lower slider 13, connecting shaft, fixed seat 17, connecting shaft and connecting rod, etc., can all adopt components from the existing technology, or adopt components from the existing technology and construct them using conventional technical means.

[0081] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical ideas and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. The patent scope of the present invention should not be limited by these embodiments. That is, any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in the present invention still fall within the patent scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-view robot drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor, characterized in that, The device includes a robot head frame, inside which are multiple multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor assemblies. Each spherical motor assembly includes a multi-degree-of-freedom output device. Each output device rotates around at least two mutually perpendicular axes that intersect at a point. Each output device has a camera module at its end. The optical axis of the camera module coincides with the axis of the output device. N windows are opened on the robot head frame, where N is greater than or equal to 1. The output device is located in one window and moves in pitch, yaw, or roll relative to that window.

2. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each spherical motor assembly also includes a base, a square housing on the base, four motor mechanisms, and two arc-shaped guide rails. A motor mechanism is mounted on each of the four outer walls of the square housing. The output shaft axis of each motor mechanism is perpendicular to the outer wall of the square housing on which it is mounted and intersects at a point called the rotation center point. The two arc-shaped guide rails are stacked vertically, and the ends of the output shafts of each pair of opposing motor mechanisms are fixedly connected to both ends of one arc-shaped guide rail. The output device includes a slider assembly that is slidably connected to both arc-shaped guide rails and a connecting shaft for connecting to the camera module. The slider assembly and the connecting shaft form a linkage mechanism. When the output shafts of the two pairs of motor mechanisms rotate, the slider assembly drives the connecting shaft to move along the two arc-shaped guide rails, causing the connecting shaft to move on a spherical surface with the rotation center point as its center.

3. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each arc-shaped guide rail has a long, narrow hole at its center; a connecting shaft passes through the long, narrow holes of the two arc-shaped guide rails; the slider assembly includes an upper slider and a lower slider, each with a shaft hole through which the connecting shaft passes; at least one pair of rotating wheels are mounted on the lower surface of the upper slider and the upper surface of the lower slider; the outer surface of the arc-shaped guide rail has an arc-shaped protrusion A or a V-shaped groove A; the circumferential surface of the rotating wheel has an annular V-shaped groove B corresponding to the protrusion A, or an annular protrusion B with an arc-shaped cross-section corresponding to the groove A; a pair of rotating wheels cooperate with the two sides of an arc-shaped guide rail and roll along the arc-shaped guide rail, thereby causing the upper and lower sliders to slide relative to the upper and lower arc-shaped guide rails.

4. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 3, characterized in that, The connecting shaft includes a fixed base and a connecting rod. The bottom of the fixed base is fixedly connected to the inner bottom surface of the square housing, and the fixed base and the connecting rod are connected by a universal ball joint.

5. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connecting rod consists of two detachable rod sections, referred to as the first rod and the second rod, respectively. The bottom of the first rod has a spherical body, and the top of the fixing seat has a spherical groove that mates with the spherical body. The second rod passes through the upper and lower sliders and the long strip holes of the two arc-shaped guide rails, and its top is fixedly connected to the camera module.

6. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer contour of the robot's head frame is spherical, egg-shaped, or a combination of a spherical and an egg-shaped structure.

7. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two to eight windows are opened around the vertical central axis of the robot's head frame; the windows are circular, one window corresponds to one output device, and the windows are equipped with embedded spherical or planar lenses; the area of ​​the windows is larger than the field of view coverage of the camera module at the maximum pitch angle and the maximum yaw angle.

8. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each output device pitches, yaws, or rolls 90–120° relative to its corresponding window.

9. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, An elongated oval window or two circular windows symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides are opened on the front side of the robot's head frame; two spherical motor assemblies are located on the left and right sides of the elongated oval window or inside the two circular windows, and these two spherical motor assemblies are referred to as the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit; the optical axes of the camera modules of the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit are set parallel to each other.

10. The robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor according to claim 9, characterized in that, The device also includes a controller, which has a built-in binocular synchronization coordination module. The binocular synchronization coordination module is used to synchronously calculate and output the pitch angle setpoint and yaw angle setpoint of the left eye drive unit and the right eye drive unit respectively according to the target tracking command sent by the host computer. This allows the optical axes of the camera modules of the left and right eye driving units to be focused at the same point.

11. A head device for a robot, characterized in that, The head unit includes the robot multi-view drive device based on a multi-degree-of-freedom spherical motor as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A mobile robot, characterized in that, The mobile robot includes the head assembly of the robot as described in claim 10, and the mobile robot is a wheeled mobile robot, a tracked mobile robot, or a quadruped robot.

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